Why I’m Ecstatic About Sarah Palin

I was stunned to wake up this morning to find that John McCain was about to name Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. I heard about her (for the first time) a few weeks ago and knew she was under consideration but I never in a million years dreamed that McCain would make such a bold move. I was sure it would be Pawlenty or Romney or Ridge or Jindal or even, God help us, Huckabee. But now, in a presidential race that is already full of amazing firsts, we have the first woman on a national Republican ticket. Woo-hoo! Congratulations, Sarah! How far she’s come since her stint as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (population 6,715) only ten years ago. But here’s the main reason I’m so excited about this provocative choice:

McCain just guaranteed that he will lose the election.

I’m sure I’m tempting the Evil Eye with that comment. Just last night, following Obama’s dazzling speech in Denver, I was urging my ultra-liberal friends not to take it for granted that he was going to win. Smugness is never a wise decision, and I find it particularly unattractive on die-hard lefties like myself. But today I can’t help it. I truly believe McCain’s decision to put the relatively unknown Palin on the Republican ticket will ultimately be seen as the most monumental blunder in his political career.

The cynicism and condescension in this decision are mind-boggling. The idea that any Democratic supporter of Hillary Clinton’s will vote for McCain because his VP is a woman is even more offensive than the idea touted in 2004 that more women would vote for Kerry after he picked John Edwards because Edwards was so “cute.” Yuck. Oh, I’m sure there are some people, somewhere, who may be swayed by Palin’s historic place on the ticket and more power to ‘em, but the assumption by McCain and his team that Democratic women care so little about the issues is appalling to say the least. The only thing that Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have in common are a few body parts. How can the other contenders for the vice presidency not be furious with McCain for this choice? I’m sure they are but are hiding it well for the sake of party unity.

It’s not like I have anything against Sarah Palin herself (even though I vehemently disagree with many of her views). She seems like a real character and it’s hard not to admire her after hearing about her life and meteoric rise to power in Alaska. But no one with half a brain, including Palin herself, could possibly believe that John McCain thought that out of every Republican politician in this country she was the best suited person to be one heartbeat away from the presidency. There’s no question that he chose her for one reason and one reason only: to try to court disgruntled Hillary Clinton voters. Disgusting. Do they really think Democrats will rush to vote for someone who virulently opposes abortion laws, even in the case of rape and incest, who favors a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, who loves hunting and wearing furs, and who is in favor of teaching creationism in the public schools? Not bloody likely.

Nevertheless, the choice was like a massive adrenalin shot to McCain’s increasingly lifeless campaign. If he had chosen Pawlenty or Romney, I probably would have read a brief article about the announcement online and then gone on with my day. But the rumors about Palin and the subsequent confirmation had me glued to CNN for hours.

I believe Republicans of all stripes are wringing their hands tonight over McCain’s folly. I feel sorry for Palin for the scrutiny and negative press she is sure to get. Already she’s being judged for not taking a maternity leave and for “abandoning” her 4-month-old baby who has Down’s Syndrome in favor of the campaign. Really not fair. On the other hand, seeing how ambitious she is, such massive attention will surely help her in the end. I wish Sarah Palin well. And I look forward to the day when strong Republican women make it to the ticket because of their qualifications, not because of their gender.

Update two weeks later: Eek, talk about being a smug liberal, I couldn't have been more wrong about Palin's ability to grab hold of the Republican base. My mistake was believing that McCain chose her to appeal to disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters. Maybe that was a hoped-for side effect, but the real prize was winning back the support of the Religious Right, and he's certainly done that in spades thanks to Palin. The ultimate result of this choice remains to be seen but this post is stunning in its incorrect assessments of McCain's tactics. 

Comments

[Tink1272]

You'd be surprised how many women I know that are voting for McCain because they are pissed off that Hillary didn't get the nomination. And even more so now that McCain is running with a woman. It makes me sad for the future of our country.

But Obama makes me actually have hope! At least people are voting? :-)

[Wanda]

I hope you are right, Danny. I am afraid a lot of people vote with their emotions and this brings up a lot of emotion for many people.

What scares me is that I doubt how much power McCain really has in his campaign and I wonder what is being set up behind the scenes by Rove and all the cronies. Something is afoot. We cannot go limp and think that the election is over.

Please God, from your lips to His ears.

[Danny]

Gosh, Tink, if that's true that's the most depressing news I've heard all year. I guess some people really are as stupid as McCain and his cronies think they are. But maybe it's just their anger talking. If they care at all about the issues, do you think they'll really choose McCain once they're in the voting booth? If so, they deserve what they get.

[Webster]

Excellent piece, Danny. I agree with every word of it. Obama was more correct than even he knew when he said that "John McCain just doesn't get it !" Watch Gidget and the Cranky Old Man go down in flames. Yes, we can.

[Rhea]

Agreed. I don't see how he can win now. Yes!!!

[Ana]

Danny I totally agree. She's no Hillary Clinton!!!

[Larry]

I really hope you're right, Danny. Being the dour, pessimistic light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-is-a-train kinda guy, I worry that she'll wind up being the perfect candidate for spin:

For the far end of the right, you have her actual political views (as well as a love of moose meat). For the left side of the right (the "I may be a Republican, but I do believe in that 'equality' stuff), you have the first woman VP carrot, as well as the "hockey mom" who can do anything.

Remember the mayor from "Nightmare Before Christmas"? He spins his head one way, he's smiling, the other way he's angry. Apparently he had an operation and won the Gubernatorial race in Alaska.

Between John (the liberal/conservative/hawk/hardliner/war hero) McCain and Ms. Palin, the Republican ticket has enough faces to field a hockey team of their own.

Republican spin doctors must be licking their chops. They can kick out a different campaign tactic every week from now til November, and never hit one twice.

[Meg]

I was floored and offended when I heard this latest news. As you said, Palin is no Clinton, but also, if McCain wanted a woman VP, is there no better qualified female Republican candidate? Give me a break.
My husband mentioned that the Republican ticket looks a little like Regis and Kathy Lee. How entertaining.

[mark]

I saw her photo and all I could think was:

"My name is Anastasia Beaverhausen. Anastasia for Russian royalty and Beaverhausen.....for where the beaver live."

[Raizy]

I agree that is offensive to assume that Hilary Clinton's female supporters will now vote Republican simply because McCain has put a woman on the ticket. I posted similar thoughts over at www.superraizy.blogspot.com

[Jane]

Thank you, Danny. I sat down to write a post about the ridiculous "voting for a vagina" idiocy of NcCain's strategists, and now I don't have to -- I'll simply direct people here and say See? Danny has pointed out EXACTLY how stupid the Republicans think Democratic women are.

My only point of difference is that I don't count McCain out. I am still in too much shock over our last two elections, when I didn't think Bush stood a chance in hell!

[Pam G]

Here in Pittsburgh last night's 11:00 p.m. news featured self-identified "Democratic" women positively squealing with delight over the selection of Palin and saying this will now make them vote for McCain. I've also seen two print news headlines (one local; one national) in the last 24 hours trumpeting this "excellent" conservative choice to draw in the "gun-owners" and religious fundamentalists.

Many people around here are registered Democrat but voted for Bush twice and his father before him. They never liked Bill and Hillary Clinton at all and wear their racism on their sleeves. I think, back in the '80s, we used to call folks like this "Reagan Democrats." (??)

At the same time, a lot of the older conservative men here who supported McCain before are dumbfounded by this choice and Palin's lack of experience. These men give me the impression they don't "believe in" women in politics really at all but I'm sure they couldn't bring themselves to vote for Obama.

I was pretty disappointed by the Joe Biden VP selection on the Dem. side but certainly not enough to vote Republican.

I say it's a toss-up and that conservatives hold a slight majority right now. McCain had a tiny lead in the polls in PA before announcing this choice and it's telling both he and Obama have been here in the Pittsburgh area this weekend. So it is close.

[Danny]

Yikes, Pam, that is unbelievable. Thank God the vast majority of Democratic women are not so misguided as to shoot themselves squarely in the foot to make a point.

The more I hear about Sarah Palin, the more dumbfounded I am by McCain's choice. Who vetted this woman, James Dobson and Phyllis Schlafly? I can't imagine that she'll be able to sound like she has a clue during the Vice Presidential Debate in October, but maybe that doesn't matter. She sure succeeds in not sounding like a Washington insider.

[Debbie]

Sarah Palin isn't going to get McCain any rational, pro-choice, pro-environment votes, but she will energize the radical right wing base to a scary degree and also, she will cause Joe Biden to bite his tongue during debates for fear of looking like a bully. Unfortunately, this was a very canny move by McCain and I'm worried.

[Danny]

You're absolutely right, Debbie, I see now that getting the extreme right back in his pocket was the real genius behind McCain's crazy choice. Gulp.

[Debbie]

Another thing, just as the Republicans have made 'liberal' a dirty word to much of the country, could we all please start saying 'radical right' at every opportunity?

It has the advantage of being true and if all the Democrats with air time on tv and radio would repeat this as often as the opposition did liberal, it might make a subliminal difference to some moderate holdouts out there. I'm just saying...

[Mary Shannon Baim]

Voting for someone simply because they are a woman is as sexist as NOT voting for them for because they are a woman. I'm hoping the headlines about women being excited appeared because they found some woman, somewhere, who said it. It makes for splashier print. The women I'm hearing about here in Colorado are offended by the selection, as if that's all it takes to get their vote. My husbands theory is that maybe Palin is the only person asked who said "yes" when asked!

[Peggy Larson]

Like Jane above,I'm glad you wrote this so I wouldn't have to (not that anyone reads my blogs anyway, lol).

When I awoke the other day & turned on the tv to the "BREAKING NEWS!" of McCain's choice, your assertion was my own first thought, that in a cynical move, he is trying to win the Hillary voters. Gag. I guess it's all the reports from the last few months, of all the Hillary supporters who are going to vote McCain in protest - this should mollify them. Yeah, who needs feet anyway? Go ahead & shoot both of them.

Speaking of Republicans & looks, can you think of anyone who looks more like a conservative librarian? Seriously. Very comforting to the unswayed, I'm sure. After all, wasn't the choice of Dan Quayle supposed to cater to the women who just wanted eye candy? (again, Gag). I always thought it was for a different reason. Doesn't "Bush & Quayle" sound like the name of an English pub? Nothing subliminal there...

[Distractions]

Very clever ploy. They're talking about the "Hillary voters" but it really is all about those hard-cover evangelical voters. But what gets me, and I'm not sure if this is true or not: McCain only met her once? Does anyone know if that's true?

I thought the Democratic convention went really well and I was really proud of being a Dem after hearing Barak's speech. But then I see the polls and it's so close.

Danny, I sure hope you're right about this ensuring McCain loss. I'm starting to get really worried.

[Michael Baim (NTHS 1966)]

Being in sales I've learned that people like to buy from people that they think are most like them.
So, one uses the same tone and phrases, expresses the same ideas and ideals.
Since I'm not a politician I can say what they all can't say. That is never underestimate the stupidity of the general public. Palin plays right into the hands of the cynical power whores that run the RNC. She looks and sounds like those shallow unreflective materialistic and xenophobic women throughout certain parts of the USA that can't be bothered to find out that the party they've been supporting since Regan has been sticking it too them all these years.
By the way, there's no such thing as a Regan Democrat. If you voted for Regan you're not a Democrat.

[Ade Murphy]

As a British man watching probably one of the most important elections in decades I am scared by John McCain's choice.

Appealing to the 'radical right' is one thing - but allowing someone with her views a chance to take over in the event of McCain's death frightens the shit out of me.

It should certainly frighten McCain.

[Canadian Judy]

As another horrified bystander (Canadian this time), I agree with Ade's remarks.

Sarah Palin is creepy and downright mean. Her lack of empathy makes me wonder if she has some “Cluster B” personality traits. For example, I read somewhere that when Palin was mayor of Wasilla, she made rape victims pay for their own forensic evidence kits. If this is true, her callousness gives me chills. Not the kind of person you want in the White House (we all know how that turned out the last time).

[Judy]

Okay, to be fair, it appears that Palin may not have been aware of the practice of billing rape victims to collect forensic evidence. Fortunately, the Democratic governor changed this policy in 2000.

[Geri Spieler]

What we all need to remember, and it is not comforting, is that people believe what they want to believe.

Some shallow-thinking folks will look at Palin as their hero. They will wash over truly important issues like freedom to read what you like, (questioning the town librarian about certain books), teaching creationism in schools, insisting on abstinance only (we know how well that works) and her rigid stance on most of her personal issues.

Watching her interviewed on television should give anyone pause about her credentials. What is mind-bogling is her belief that because she can see Russia from the shores of Alaska, she has foreign policy experience. I truly think she believes this? The first time I heard that I thought it was a joke?

What McCain has done is take the focus off of himself and Obama and redirected it to her.

Obama's position his slipped in poles recently and this frightened me to death. It can't understand why people vote against their own interest and think McCain and this airhead will do better for the country.

What has happend to the people of this country?

[Paul eNzahl]

Palin is ready to go to war with Russia. Maybe that's what this is all about, the next big conflict being planned in Virginia and Washington.

[tonalli]

You need to update. Your first post is still right on the money. You didn't predict that she would be caught in several lies but the "sparkle" of her introductions have diminished. People are getting to know that nobody from Alaska and that big bounce in the polls is gone...women don't find her so appetizing anymore. Republicans will come out against her.